Love's Labour Lost
by madladypoet
Summary: Major Jamie Stewart, Captain James Nicholls, and Lieutenant Charlie Waverly are all preparing for war. Each man is preparing for death, and on the battlefield, they find something unexpected: love.
1. Sirita Singh Chapter 1

_Sirita Singh_

Sirita Singh awoke with a start. The cannons were going off to signal a 6 am start to training. She caught her breath and lay back down. Sirita ran her fingers through her dark curls and took a deep breath to calm herself. Outside of her door, she could the thud of boots running past her door as soldiers late for training were running to get there in time.

Major Stewart was not going to be happy, she thought with a grin.

At the thought of him, Sirita jumped out of bed and walked over to the window. She saw Major Stewart standing tall on his saddle with Topthorn. His blue uniform was a deeper hue in the early morning mist. His silver shoulder pads gleaned as the sun crested the house. Even from her distance, Sirita could see that his mustache was perfectly trimmed and his cheekbones looked like they could cut through the morning air.

Sirita thought he looked incredibly handsome.

At this thought, Sirita turned away from the window, and felt a pain in her heart. She was in love with a man who would never return her love, and to make matters worse, a man she knows her brother would never approve of.

Sighing, she walked over to her dressing table and sat down, and began to brush her hair. Applying pins to put it up into a bun, Sirita cast thoughts of her unrequited love aside, and began mentally planning her day. She had a bad feeling about this war. Boys coming home by Christmas? She didn't see it. Sirita did some nursing training in Germany, and was well aware of the advancements in technology that Germans had in medicine. She walked over to the wardrobe and opened it. If the Germans had that kind of technology in medicine, she reasoned, then what kind of weapons did they have? She paused and felt herself shiver. What was going to happen to her brother, Jamie, and the other boys she loved so much?


	2. Major Jamie Stewart Chapter 1

_Major Jamie Stewart_

Major Stewart was sitting atop Topthorn about to chew out the late recruits when he saw her in the window. Sirita Singh was watching him from her window. Wearing nothing but her nightgown, she looked like a vision in the window as the morning sun outlined her body. Her dark curls were loose and wavy, and not up in a bun. She looked lovely. Stewart paused and it wasn't until she turned away from the window, that Major Stewart was able to take his concentration back on the troops and the task at hand. Topthorn shook his head restlessly. Major Stewart knew that Topthorn always reflected his own emotions, and with Sirita Singh, Jamie Stewart's emotions were all over the place. He was in love with her, and he had been from the time they met. It was complicated though, he thought as he turned Topthorn and began to canter out toward the field while the troops followed. He was going to war, possibly never to return, and her brother would never approve.

Stewart looked to his right and saw the last troops arriving late. There would be certain punishment for that. He sighed. He took no great pleasure in punishing his troops, but in the military, discipline had to be applied to all so that the great war machine would never break down. At least, that is what his father taught him.

At the thought of his father, Stewart felt his cheekbones tighten. His father was a cold, cruel man whose greatest love was battle. Stewart's father returned from the Boer war in South Africa a drunk and a miser whose greatest love was dishing out punishment to his wife and son. Jamie Stewart spent his life striving to be the exact opposite. He never drank, took care of his mum, and strived to be the best soldier and leader he could be.

Still, he thought as he sat tall on Topthorn in front of his troops, he had never fallen in love. Of course, he had sexual experiences. His father made sure that his son lost his virginity at 17 to a beautiful lady of the night. He was fortunate, he mused, that she was a kind woman. Other soldiers he spoke with had horrible experiences during their 1st time, and they were nearly bad enough to put a man off of sex. Since his 1st time, Jamie had several more sexual experiences, some good and some bad, but he had never been in love until now. Knowing he could never have her hurt more than he could imagine. Over and over, he told himself that going to war was the tonic he needed to get over Sirita Singh. As he gave marching orders to the troops, Jamie Stewart mentally pushed himself to forget her and prepare himself for war.


	3. Captain James Nicholls Chapter 1

_Captain James Nicholls_

Captain James Nicholls stood tall on his horse; a newbie named Joey, and watched Major Stewart give orders. He knew that something was off about his friend, and turned to glance at the window, just in time to see Sirita Singh walking away. Nicholls sighed. He knew that his friend had fallen in love with the beautiful nurse, just as he also knew that her brother would never allow James to court his sister. There were rumors through the camp that Captain Singh intended to have his sister betrothed before the troops left for France. Given that there was only 6 weeks left before they shipped out, that did not leave a lot of time for anyone to protest a marriage or run off together. James encouraged Jamie to tell Sirita how he felt, but he refused. James suspected that Sirita shared Jamie feelings but fear of her brother's reaction prevented her from doing so.

As he began to canter Joey out, James mused on his own love life. He envied Jamie for falling in love. He, himself, had never had that experience, and was a bit jealous that Jamie got to experience it. Like most soldiers, he had sexual experiences, but James was smart enough to realize that sex did not equal love. He saw it firsthand in his parents.

Joey reared up for a moment, and James quietly gave him instructors and gently patted him to calm the horse. Like most soldiers, James knew his emotions were reflected in his horse. Thinking about his parents always made him extremely tense, and he was thankful that he had broken away from his family, and had not seen them for several years. Although James considered himself a loyal person, there was no loyalty in his family as his parents had an arranged marriage because their families sought a financially viable match. James' father came from an aristocratic family while James' mother came from a moneyed family. The marriage ensured that James' father gets money to keep his estate, and James' mother got a title and access to an aristocratic class. Yet love never played a role in that marriage. James sighed painfully as he and Joey awaited Jamie's orders and thought about his parents.

After his birth, James was raised by a series of nannies as his mother embarked on a series of very public love affairs. James could recall he would often go days without seeing his mother, and when he did see her, it was often for a "public viewing." She would bring friend and sometimes her lovers over to see her "beautiful son." Then she would give him a perfunctory kiss on the cheek and send him away. His father was not much better. He also had his share of lovers, and rarely saw his son except at weekly family dinners. James felt lucky that he had wonderful nannies, and was sent to a great public school, Eton, at the age of 8. There he found a cadre of brothers, including Jamie, and Charlie and felt a real sense of family for the first time in his life. Then there was graduation.

Joey snorted and dug his front hooves in again as he sensed that James was not paying attention. James woke up and gently patted Joey again as he followed Jamie's orders and began to canter out to the field. The cannons boomed again, and James found himself remembering his graduation. It was a beautiful day and to his surprise and dismay, his parents both showed up. After the ceremonies when parents swarmed their children, his parents came up to him. At that point, he had not seen either one in several years. He spent vacations at Charlie's house and Christmas at Pemberly with the servants. James recoiled when he realized that both of his parents were drunk. Very drunk. His mother rushed toward him and kissed him on both cheeks. She reeked of alcohol. His father gave his hand a perfunctory shake, but could not seem to meet his son's eyes. Realizing something was wrong, both Charlie and Jamie moved in. At that moment, James' mother laughed hysterically and announced that the family fortune was lost. Apparently, James' father and mother had gotten deep into debt through gambling and had lost everything. The estate that was meant to be his birthright was gone. Anchored by Charlie and Jamie, James turned away from his parents, and never looked back. He, Charlie, and Jamie joined the service the next day, and James had been a soldier ever since. He heard that his parents were living somewhere in London, but he had no interest to see them. Perhaps, he mused as Joey began to trot, that was cruel, but his life had always been better without them.

As Joey broke into a run, James promised himself that if he survived this war, he would find someone and have a true family life. The right girl, he thought, had to be out there somewhere.


	4. Lieutenant Charlie Waverly Chapter 1

_Lieutenant Charlie Waverly_

Lieutenant Charlie Waverly watched as the horses were going into a sprint with Jamie and James running far ahead of the rest. Charlie didn't try to catch up. He wanted to keep his Bell ready and fit for France and what was to come ahead. Unlike his fellow soldiers who seemed to be convinced that they would all be home by Christmas, Charlie knew from his talks with Sirita Singh, who has recently come from Germany, that Germany had a war machine unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. Charlie had a sinking feeling that the war was going to be more horrible than anything anyone had ever seen before. Glancing at the men around him in full gallop with swords drawn, Charlie shook his head at the display of pageantry that was going to get them all killed.

Turning his horse around, he saw Sirita Singh coming out of the house. She was already dressed for work with her long curls in a bun. She saw Charlie and gave a friendly wave. Charlie turned Bell and trotted toward Sirita. She had an arm full of bandages on one hip and a basket full of thread on another. As the head nurse, she was preparing war supplies and was closely working with sheep farmers all over the county to have enough thread for their unit. Charlie had a great fondness for Sirita Singh as did most of the men in their unit. She was calm, straightforward and incredibly hard working. He had heard rumors that Major Singh wanted to marry his sister off before they went to war. Charlie knew half dozen men in the unit who would be happy to have her hand. He was one of them.

As Sirita and Charlie talked, the unit returned back to formation. Charlie heard his name barked and turned to see Jamie glaring at him, ordering him back to formation. Charlie had to admit his surprise as Jamie never pulled rank before, but shrugged his shoulders at Sirita and trotted back to formation. As the soldiers lined up again, Charlie saw Sirita walk off and Jamie's eyes follow her. Charlie wondered vaguely if Jamie also had feelings for Sirita. Charlie knew he did but was unsure of them. Did he like her because she possessed qualities he found admirable? Did he like her because she was the only marriageable female within a hundred miles? Charlie simply wasn't sure, and it bothered him. He had been passionately in love once, but swore he would never be again. He looked a Sirita's form, fading in the distance, and wondered about his feelings for her. Shouldn't he feel passion if he was truly in love with her?

Perhaps he was afraid. As Bell fell in line with the other horses, Charlie thought about his parents for the first time in years. He knew that his parents had an incredibly passionate relationship, but Charlie also watched the fallout when his mother died. His father ceased to live. He barely ate, spent hours weeping, didn't take care of Charlie or the farm, and finally, when Charlie's aunt and uncle took Charlie to live with them, his father died. The official story was that he drown, but Charlie always believed that he committed suicide.

Luckily for Charlie, he thought, as Bell began to run, he grew up with his aunt and uncle who were kind and stable people. That house became a second home for Charlie, James, and Jamie when they had holidays from school and a refuge when all three joined the service. That is when he met Imogene. For the first time in his life, Charlie understood his parents' passionate love affair. He did everything he could for Imogene: bought presents, flowers, and followed her everywhere. Charlie remembered that Jamie and James warned him that Imogene was not to be trusted, and that they had heard rumors about her with other officers, but Charlie refused to hear them. He even broke off his friendship with them until that night.

Charlie tighten his grip on the reigns as Belle was running. She immediately started to slow down and Charlie had to give her a tap to get her running again. That night, as his thoughts drifted back, Charlie had taken Imogene out and bought her several dresses that took his entire month's salary. He knew that he shouldn't spoil her, but he loved seeing her happy. Then they went to an officer's party where Charlie avoided Jamie and James who pleaded to talk with him. As Charlie pulled ahead of everyone else, with his sword drawn toward the target, he remembered that Imogene disappeared halfway through the party. He went to look for her and found her upstairs with George, a fellow officer. As he captured the ring, Charlie remembered the look on her face. There was no consternation at being caught. She simply looked at him as if to say, "What more did you expect?" He began to slow Belle's pace down as he remembered a hand on his shoulder. It was Jamie with James right behind him. He turned away from Imogene and went back to the base and drowned his sorrows with his friends. Later, he, James, and Jamie found George and promptly gave him a good kicking. Charlie never saw Imogene again. He later heard that she had drifted into prostitution, although he hoped that wasn't true.

Charlie pulled Belle around having won the ring for the first time. He saw James grinning at him and even Jamie gave him a nod of approval. Charlie twirled the ring around his sword as he began to walk Belle back to the formation line. He still felt that the war would be the end to them all, but as long as he was with his friends, then maybe there was a chance to come home safe. Who knows, thought Charlie, maybe he would find his own Sirita Singh.


	5. Major Vijay Singh Chapter 1

_Major Vijay Singh_

Major Vijay Singh watched Jamie Stewart staring at his sister as she walked toward the makeshift hospital in the back of the estate. He had known for a long time that Jamie had feelings for his sister, but Vijay could not imagine betrothing his beloved sister to a man going to war. Vijay liked Jamie and always thought Jamie was the best of men, but all men walking into this war were walking into a death sentence, and he did not want his little sister to become a widow at 22.

Vijay had thought long and hard about what type of man would be good for his sister. As her older brother and the only family they had left, it was his responsibility to make sure that she made a good match. As he walked into the map room, Vijay had considered many different men within the camp to be his sister's groom. These men were steady farmers and businessmen and were not going to war. Yet, he knew that his sister would never agree to whomever he picked. Sirita had a stubborn streak from a very young age. At 5, she announced at their older sister's wedding, that she would only marry for love. Subsequent beatings from their father did nothing to deter her. By 15, Sirita had to leave India or risk being killed, and Vijay, at 17, was sent to protect and guide his sister in England. Neither had ever returned home.

As he settled into his maps, tedious work but Vijay loved it, he thought about the event that brought them to England six years ago: His sister's last betrothal. At the age of 15, Sirita was betrothed to a man 15 years her senior. Vijay did not like the man at all. He was a disgusting, vile man, who wanted to make Sirita one of his wives. Vijay knew that his sister would live a miserable life. Sirita herself steadfastly refused to marry this man or even meet her intended. On the day of her wedding, she ran away with Vijay's help. She was found, and subsequently, Sirita was returned home. Their father kept her confined to her bedroom until arrangements could be made to have her stoned to death. The night before her death, their mother allowed them both to escape with the provision that Vijay would always look after his sister. They made it to England without a problem, but received a letter from their mother, stating that they could never return home.

Vijay turned over a map and sighed. He missed India—its sights, sounds, and smells, and of course, women. Still, he adored his sister, and England, despite their problems with racial prejudice, turned out to be the refuge they hoped it would be. Vijay checked the clock. He had three hours to work before he met with Sirita's potential mate, and six hours before he, Sirita, James, Jamie, and Charlie had their final dinner together.


End file.
